Roommate Agreement: Legal Context and Template Access

A roommate agreement is a private contract between people sharing a home who are not all named on the lease with the landlord (an "off-lease" arrangement) -- distinct from a sublet, which follows its own separate legal process (see the Sublet FAQ). Because off-lease roommates generally aren't "tenants" under Ontario's Residential Tenancies Act in relation to each other, the RTA's formal eviction process and the Landlord and Tenant Board don't typically apply between roommates the way they do between a landlord and tenant. Notice periods, financial responsibilities, and what happens if someone needs to leave early are governed by whatever your roommate agreement says -- not by the RTA directly. A written agreement with clear terms for notice, financial responsibility, and dispute resolution gives everyone clearer expectations if something goes wrong. Getting the template: our Roommate Agreement template is maintained as a Google Doc -- you can download a Word-compatible copy, or make your own editable copy directly in Google Drive to fill in with your roommates. We keep a single master version in Drive (rather than duplicating it elsewhere) so updates only ever need to happen in one place. This is not legal advice. The template and this guidance are informational only and don't replace advice specific to your situation.